South Korea Proposes to Add 46 New Chemicals and 1 Hazardous Concern Substance to Hazard Review Results

On October 15, 2026, South Korea’s National Institute of Chemical Safety (NICS) issued Administrative Notice No. 2026-103, proposing partial amendments to the Results of Hazard Review of Chemical Substances (previously updated under NICS Notice No. 2026-15 on September 2, 2026). Issued pursuant to Article 21 of K-REACH and Article 28 of its Enforcement Rules, the draft amendment is open for public comment through November 4, 2026.

The proposed amendment adds hazard evaluation results for 46 new chemical substances and one substance of concern, while updating classification and labeling details for 63 existing substances.

Background

The Results of Hazard Review of Chemical Substances is NICS’s primary mechanism for publicly disclosing hazard review and risk evaluation data under K-REACH. For each reviewed substance, the publication details:

• Chemical Name & CAS Number
• Designation status as a human health or environmental hazard substance
• GHS classification and labeling
• Physicochemical properties and hazard profiles

K-REACH mandates full public disclosure of these properties. This amendment implements those statutory requirements and updates regulatory classifications based on new data submitted through registration modifications.

Key Revisions

Newly Added Hazard Review Results of 46 New Chemical Substances

Item 1 of Annex 1 adds 46 substances with unique numbers from 2026-80 to 2026-125, all of them new chemical substances that completed hazard review between March and May 2026; the notice publishes their GHS classification and labelling, physicochemical properties, and human health and environmental hazard data substance by substance. Many of them have been designated as human health and other hazard substances or ecological hazard substances. Examples include:

1. Unique numbers 2026-102 and 2026-103 (oligomeric reaction products based on 1,1'-methylene bis(4-isocyanatobenzene) (MDI), no CAS number assigned): GHS classification includes acute toxicity – inhalation Category 3, respiratory sensitization Category 1, carcinogenicity Category 2, and specific target organ toxicity – repeated exposure Category 2; the substances are human acute hazard substances.
2. Unique number 2026-107 (N-(C13-15 branched and linear alkyl) derivatives of 2,2'-iminobisethanol, CAS No. 97925-95-6): classification includes skin corrosion/irritation Category 1B, reproductive toxicity Category 1B, and hazardous to the aquatic environment – acute Category 1 and chronic Category 1; the substance is simultaneously a human acute hazard substance, a human chronic hazard substance, and an ecological hazard substance.
3. Unique number 2026-93 (1,5-naphthalenediamine, CAS No. 2243-62-1): both the bacterial reverse mutation test and the chromosome aberration test yielded positive results; the notice notes that, given genotoxicity concerns, care should be taken to avoid human exposure during handling.

Beyond the new listings, 30 already-listed new chemical substances (unique numbers 2015-25 to 2026-55) have had their classification, labeling, and hazard data updated in the same amendment, following registration amendments or newly obtained hazard data. For example, the carcinogenicity of the substance with unique number 2023-28 (a reaction mass of anthraquinone derivatives) is now classified as Category 1.

Existing Chemical Substances: 1 Classification Revision, 2 Typographical Corrections, and Unique Numbers Confirmed for 30 Hazard Substances

Item 2 of Annex 1 (existing chemical substances) covers 33 substances in total, including the following:

1. p-Toluidine (CAS No. 106-49-0; new chemical unique number 2021-142; existing substance unique number KE-23448) has its classification and labelling revised; the revised classification includes acute toxicity – oral/dermal/inhalation Category 3, serious eye damage/eye irritation Category 2, skin sensitization Category 1, carcinogenicity Category 2, and hazardous to the aquatic environment – acute Category 1 and chronic Category 1. The substance is a human acute hazard substance and an ecological hazard substance (human health and other hazard substance unique number 97-1-300) and must comply with relevant provisions of the Act on the Chemical Control of Hazardous Substances, such as the business permit for hazardous chemicals.
2. Classification and labelling statements of 2 substances are corrected: for unique number 2023-418, "hazardous to the aquatic environment – chronic (4.1)" is corrected to "hazardous to the aquatic environment (4.1) chronic"; for unique number 2025-608, the classification code of "serious eye damage/eye irritation" is corrected from (3.2) to (3.3).
3. Human health and other hazard substance unique numbers are confirmed for 30 existing chemical substances (including unique numbers 2023-411, 2025-622, and 2025-627); these substances were previously marked as "designation pending" and are now formally assigned numbers; for example, unique number 2023-411 changes from "designation pending" to 2026-1-1355.

Newly Added Evaluation Result of 1 Hazardous Concern Substance

Annex 2 adds unique number 2026-7: ethyl chloroformate (CAS No. 541-41-3). The evaluation concludes that the substance is a human acute hazard substance; its GHS classification includes flammable liquids Category 2, acute toxicity – oral Category 3, acute toxicity – inhalation Category 1, and skin corrosion/irritation Category 1B. The notice also states that the substance must comply with relevant provisions of the Chemical Control Act, such as the business permit for hazardous chemicals.

Public Comment Period & Next Steps

Stakeholders and industry representatives may submit written feedback on the draft amendment to the President of NICS (Chemical Substances Registration and Evaluation Division) until November 4, 2026.

Submission Requirements:

• Detailed item-by-item justification for any proposed changes.
• Commenter details (Name/Company Name, Representative, Address, Phone Number).
• Contact Details: Tel: +82-32-560-8690 | Fax: +82-32-568-2038

Once the public consultation closes, the final text will be promulgated and take effect immediately on the date of publication.

Regulatory Action Plan for Industry

In light of this administrative notice, companies exporting relevant substances to South Korea may take note of the following:

1. Screen listed substances: companies are advised to check against the annex to the notice whether the substances they export to South Korea, or have already notified or registered there, fall within the scope of this amendment, including the 46 newly added chemical substances (unique numbers 2026-80 to 2026-125), ethyl chloroformate (CAS No. 541-41-3), and the 63 substances with updated information.
2. Update SDSs and labels promptly: the GHS classification and labeling set out in the Results of Hazard Review of Chemical Substances are the officially recognized basis for hazard information in South Korea; once the amendment is officially published, companies manufacturing or importing the listed substances in South Korea should promptly update their Korean SDSs and labels and pass the updated information along the supply chain, and substances with newly added high-hazard classifications such as carcinogenicity, respiratory sensitization, and reproductive toxicity deserve particular attention.
3. Verify hazard substance obligations: for substances designated as human acute/chronic hazard substances or ecological hazard substances, the notice mostly states that they must comply with the Act on the Chemical Control of Hazardous Substances, including the business permit for hazardous chemicals; companies should verify, based on their own business types, the permit, labeling, MSDS, and other obligations they need to fulfill in South Korea.
4. Keep track of the official publication: the amendment is still at the administrative prior notice stage, and the final published text may be adjusted; companies are advised to continue following NICS releases and to rely on the text of the official publication.

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Further information

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